Partial building collapse in Bed-Stuy injures 2 workers

A partial building collapse in Bed-Stuy Wednesday afternoon injured two construction workers - one seriously.

The FDNY says it appears a lot of heavy materials were loaded at the top of 244 Howard Ave. and may have caused it to collapse. The Department of Buildings is investigating.

Police were called to the site around 3:30 p.m. after learning that a construction worker might be pinned.

The site used to be Victory Baptist Church, but recently construction had started to turn it into a residential building.

The FDNY says emergency responders had to tunnel through a gap in the floor to reach the seriously injured worker. The worker was then rushed to New York City Health and Hospitals King County for injuries that were not considered life-threatening. Another worker had minor injuries.

People living in the neighborhood say the project has not been going smoothly, with claims of poor materials being used and workers rushing to get it finished.

“He had some material and part of the floor above had collapsed on top of him so he was unable to extricate himself and we were able to locate him through sound, visualize him and get to him,” says FDNY Deputy Chief Stephen Moro.

News 12 tried to speak with the construction supervisor at the scene, but he said he didn't want to talk.